Whether you’re moving from Italy to the U.S. or the other way around, you will notice a massive difference even in the little things that are part of the daily routine. While thinking about these two countries, it should pop up how many similarities and differences and how much they influenced each other in the past and how much they are still related in the present.
Anyway, sometimes it is hard to think about differences during the daily routine because the little things are the ones we all take for granted and the only way to understand them is analyzing.
Every Italian region is different in their habits and costumes but a student’s life is mostly the same everywhere. Only half of an Italian day involves school because classes go only from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Before going to school, every student usually has breakfast because lunch is not provided during the six hours of lesson. Breakfast is composed of light food. Italians usually don’t eat sausages or eggs at the beginning of the day, but at lunch or dinner. Lunch time is later than in the U.S. and so is dinner. During the afternoon, Italian students have lots of homework, but they also like to play sports. Unfortunately sports are only in clubs outside the school, which makes it quite hard to bond in good relationships with your teammates because they could be from different schools. Bedtime is usually after dinner around ten, depending on sports events or homework.
The week is composed of five days of school in which the routine repeats almost every day in the same way, during the weekends some habits are different. Weekends aren’t relaxing days like they are in the U.S Italians love going out to eat or hanging out with their friends. It’s also important to spend time with the family and do interacting activities together such as boardgames or going for a walk.
All the differences listed are due to a different background of lifestyle, influenced by businesses like grocery stores that are way different from the U.S., but they also depend on how the school is structured. Having a lot of free time in the afternoons allows students to join their own time but it is also harder because the amount of homework is greater.
Even though it might not seem like it, in Italy people like to relax and enjoy the little things everyday, sometimes life runs fast,but the routine makes you appreciate the little moments of peace.
